


you weren't meant to bear that burden (look at the roses in your garden)

by caimani



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 19:03:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12087399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caimani/pseuds/caimani
Summary: Keith is a gamer who was challenged to romance the most difficult character on theVoltron: Legendary Defendersdating game: Lance.





	you weren't meant to bear that burden (look at the roses in your garden)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Red_and_R3d](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_and_R3d/gifts).



> I wasn't going to write klance fanfic because there's so much good stuff already but that FUCKING SCENE is just so much like some shit out of a dating sim that I had to. Title is from Cinderblock Garden by All Time Low.

Keith sets down his controller and cracks his knuckles. Damn it, he’s not so sure he made the right choices earlier. He doesn’t want to start over again, since he’s actually gotten really far this second time around, now that he’s actually taking this seriously.

 

`Hunk and Pidge start talking about tweaking the ship’s technology to track the comet. It all goes over your head, but it sounds pretty important. They leave to get to work.`

`Lance: “I have no idea what either of them just said.”`

`➤ Follow after Hunk and Pidge.`  
`➤ “They’re obviously going to track the comet.”`  
`➤ Say nothing.`

 

Keith frowns and picks the controller back up. He shouldn’t go after Hunk and Pidge because he needs to focus on Lance, so the first option is wrong. The second option… no. He can’t say anything that will put Lance down anymore. But saying nothing just doesn’t feel right.

It feels least wrong though. Keith selects the third option.

 

`Shiro decides the team will continue on their present course until Hunk and Pidge finish their work. He seems concerned about the Galra’s plans.`

 

Keith easily skips the options that would set him up for Shiro, Allura, and Coran's routes. He’s disappointed there isn’t anything like `Ask Lance if he wants to hang out.` but that would be too easy, wouldn’t it? 

 

`➤ Go to the training room.`  
`➤ Go to the kitchen.`  
`➤ Go to your room.`

`You return to your room to bide the time until you’re called back to the bridge. It might be a good idea to get some sleep now, in case you have to fight later. `

`Someone knocks on the door.`

`➤ Don’t answer.`  
`➤ “Yeah?”`  
`➤ Open the door.`

 

Keith pauses. This hasn’t happened before. Usually he has to try and run into the other characters. They tend to leave him alone in his room, so…

He chooses the second option. Instantly he gasps at the picture on the screen. 

 

`Lance enters your room. He doesn’t look good.`

`Lance: “Hey, man. I just wanted to talk with you because… Well, because I’ve been worrying about something.”`

 

“Oh my god,” Keith says, taking a moment to soak this in. He’s got Lance in his room, holy shit. And he’s come to _talk to Keith._

 

`➤ “Must be really bothering you if you’re coming to talk to me.”`  
`➤ “You? Worrying? Come on.”`  
`➤ “Is it about the Galra?”`

 

Keith accidentally presses on the first option before he has a moment to think them over. “Fuck!” he yells. 

 

`Lance: “Well, I mean, you’re the leader now, right?”`

`➤ “I’m still not sure about that.”`  
`➤ “I guess.”`  
`➤ “Shiro’s the leader, Lance.”`

 

“These options are garbage!” Keith says, waving one hand at the screen. “What is going to make him like me more! This is impossible!”

The first and second options are so close. Keith scowls, then chooses the second, hoping it will keep the conversation about Lance and his problems, rather than Keith’s character’s problems. He needs to get the _romance_ ending, not the friendship ending.

Oh, fuck, Lance looks even sadder now. Fuck whoever was on the art team who drew this. Keith wants to drag Lance out of the game and hug the shit out of him.

 

`Lance: “I’ve been doing some math.”`

`Lance: “With Shiro back, that makes six paladins, but there are only five lions and if I’m right, that’s one paladin too many.”`

`➤ “Where are you going with this?”`  
`➤ “If you’re saying that you’re not needed now, then no, you’re wrong.”`  
`➤ “Solid math.”`

 

Keith leans back and taps on the side of the controller. None of those options sound like they’ll ruin things. Not like the ones Keith jokingly picked the last time he tried to romance Lance and failed horribly. He quickly saves the game and tries the third option.

 

`Lance looks sad.`

 

No fucking shit, you stupid space ranger dating sim, Keith thinks.

 

`Lance: “Look, when Shiro takes over the Black Lion, you’re going to want your Red Lion back.”`

`Lance: “If I get a lion, I’d have to take Blue from Allura.”`

`Lance: “But she’s progressed a lot faster than any of us did.”`

`Lance: “She might even be able to unlock powers we don’t know of.”`

 

“Lance!” Keith shouts, on the verge of either tearing up or punching something. “Why are you like this!” Fuck, how could Keith romance anyone _but_ him in this game?

 

`You: “That’s true.”`

 

“Wait, what?” Keith blinks at the screen. He didn’t get an option to say that. 

 

`Lance: “So maybe the best thing I can do for this team is step aside.”`

 

“No!” Keith says. “What are you talking about, Lance!”

 

`➤ “What are you talking about?”`  
`➤ “Let the lions decide that.”`  
`➤ “I don’t think Red chose you as a placeholder, Lance.”`

 

Keith almost picks the last option because he’s so desperate to make Lance feel better, but he stops. That one almost sounds too easy. Also, he doesn’t like the idea of referring to Lance as a placeholder, even if it’s to try to combat Lance’s negative feelings about himself. 

Keith saves the game again on a different save file and tries the first one.

 

`Lance: “This isn’t a participation game.”`

`Lance: “This is war.”`

`Lance: “And you want your best soldiers on the front lines.”`

`➤ “You _are_ one of the best soldiers, Lance.”`  
` ➤ “Stop worrying about who flies what and just focus on your missions.”`  
`➤ “You’ve got a point…”`

 

Keith picks the first one, glaring challengingly at the screen. Finally, _finally_ , he gets to compliment Lance and give him the love he deserves.

 

`Lance laughs, but it’s not a happy sound.`

`Lance: “You and I both know that’s not true.”`

`Lance: “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, though.”`

`Lance: “Sorry for bothering you.”`

`Lance leaves quickly, before you’re able to say anything else to him.`

 

Keith punches the sofa. “How did I fuck that up!”

He exits the game without saving and selects the last save file. He tries `“I don’t think Red chose you as a placeholder, Lance.”` but that gives him the same bad end to the conversation. He tries again, with `“Let the lions decide that.”`

 

`Lance: “Well, I’m pretty sure Blue would choose Allura.”`

`Lance: “You’re obviously better than me, so why wouldn’t Red choose you?”`

`Lance: “Black doesn’t want someone like me, and Green and Yellow have Pidge and Hunk.”`

`➤ “You’re overthinking this.”`  
`➤ “We could both fly Red.”`  
`➤ “I don’t think I’m better than you.”`

 

Oh, shit those don’t sound good. 

Keith exits again and goes back to the save file again. He picks `“What are you talking about?”` and then `“Stop worrying about who flies what and just focus on your missions.”` His heart jumps a little when his character says something in addition to his selected dialogue. 

 

`You: “Things will work themselves out.”`

`Lance: “...”`

`Lance: “Okay. Thanks.”`

 

Keith breathes a sigh of relief. Hopefully that was the right one.

 

`Lance starts to leave. He still looks sad, so you call back to him.`

`You: “And, Lance…”`

`Lance turns back to you.`

`You: “Leave the math to Pidge.”`

`Lance smiles at that and leaves.`

 

“Fuck yes!” Keith yells, throwing his fists in the air. That must have been the right path through that conversation. God damn it, he was so close to ruining all his progress with Lance. Fuck. He’s got to play this again later, so he can have that talk with Lance without all the stress of accidentally saying the wrong thing.

Keith saves the game and stretches. For a while, he leaves the game on the screen with Lance’s departing smile, which has to be the best thing he’s seen so far in the game. He could care less about all the awesome cutscenes of the characters fighting the Galra. Sure, he sort of has to pay attention to that part of the plot, but winning against the Galra is his secondary goal. Keith’s first and most important goal is to finish with Lance’s good romance ending.


End file.
